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The Central Indiana Regional Development Authority announced Thursday that Jennifer Messer will serve as its first executive director.
Messer, an attorney who operates her own law firm, will lead the newly formed group as it looks to increase collaboration and apply for regional grants.
CIRDA represents more than 70% of the central Indiana population. Members include Anderson, Avon, Beech Grove, Elwood, Fishers, Indianapolis, Lawrence, McCordsville, Noblesville, Plainfield, Speedway, Westfield, and Zionsville.
“CIRDA represents [13] diverse central Indiana communities that are collectively focused on harnessing resources to better serve the entire area,” Messer said in written remarks. “Working together, there are abundant available resources that CIRDA can obtain to fund transformational projects throughout the area.”
Messer’s husband is former U.S. Rep. Luke Messer (R), who represented Indiana’s 6th Congressional District from 2013 to 2019. He also served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2003 to 2006.
“CIRDA is growing and furthering its impact on the Indy region with a growing list of more than a dozen cities and towns as members, securing grants and funding for critical projects,” Fishers Mayor and CIRDA Chair Scott Fadness said in written remarks. “With Jennifer at the helm, we’ll be able to position the region in a very competitive position to build a stronger central Indiana.”
Indiana leaders have focused on regionalism in recent years as a way to spur economic development across the state through initiatives that include the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, which provides opportunities for communities join together and apply for grant funding.
In 2020, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Senate Enrolled Act 350, which authorized counties and municipalities in the Indianapolis metropolitan area to create a new regional development authority. The legislation did not include funding, bonding or taxing authority for the RDA.
CIRDA dissolved a previous development authority that included Carmel, Greenwood, Indianapolis and Westfield. There are RDAs that currently cover the northern, southern, northeast and southwest regions of the state.
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